Panasonic partners with Richelieu hardware to launch innovative home storage and organization solutions

Panasonic Canada Inc. and Richelieu Hardware announced today an exclusive partnership to bring Panasonic engineered,manufactured, and branded Storage and Organization solutions to the North American market through close to 70,000 cabinet makers, designers and builders. Richelieu, the leading importer and distributor of specialty hardware for cabinet manufacturers, kitchen dealers and woodworkers has developed a North American market expertise in the Smart Living concept, the art of optimizing living spaces.

These Shimau solutions reflect the Japanese philosophy of an intelligent use of space and a place for everything in the home. By providing innovative space management systems that optimize accessibility and square footage, Panasonic is meeting the dynamic space-saving needs of today’s homeowner.

“Panasonic is bringing new thinking and design options to the industry to help home owners reimagine their living spaces and maximize their options,” states Kevin Smith, Business Manager, Housing Solutions at Panasonic Canada. “Richelieu’s extensive distribution network is perfectly aligned to bring Panasonic’s next generation Shimau space management solutions to a key global market – and meet the needs of North Americans who are eager to better utilize the space in their homes and improve livability as they re-size their living spaces.”

The Panasonic Storage and Organization solutions are engineered to the highest standards, delivering a quality, premium product that customers around the world have come to expect from this global leader. Key products from the line include:

• Soft Down Cabinet System: Makes effective use of in-cabinet space that is not usually accessible creating access to inconvenient taller spaces throughout the home. With a smooth adjustable motion this organizer can bring up to 16 kg/35 lbs of storage from difficult to reach heights down to more manageable levels. With a light touch, the contents are returned to the cabinet, closet or other storage space, making tall spaces useful, without the need for a ladder or step.
• Revolving Shoe System: The smartest shoe system on the market – this revolving shelf pulls out and rotates 360 degrees for easy viewing and access. Available in two heights, 1800 mm/5.9 ft and 1000 mm/3.28 ft, fits up to 56 pairs or 24 pairs of shoes respectively, and can be customized for heels and boots. Salt and moisture resistant shelves keep shoes clean and dry for storage.
• Pull Down Cabinet System: Maximize the space at the back of your cabinet where “things go to die”. Instead of burying the expired vitamins or the unfortunate wedding gift at the back of the closet, our pull down system brings the back of cabinets to life, with easy access to spices, baking needs or other smaller objects, all at easily reachable heights.
• Clothes Drying System: Imagine if you could eliminate the need to unfold the massive drying rack, avoid clothes hanging from your shower rod, or get rid of that ugly piece of pipe hanging from your ceiling, when you want to hang clothes to dry inside your home. Panasonic’s Shimau Clothes Drying systems provide three smart solutions that offer up to 8 kg/17.6 lbs and 1.8 m/6 feet of drying rod (about 15 damp shirts), while unobtrusively storing away when not in use. These unique solutions provide an eco friendly solution to an age old problem; how to treat your clothes better, and save on energy. Included in the self-storing lineup are a wall mounted system, a surface mounted system for retrofits on ceilings, and a built in ceiling mounted unit.
• Revolving Closet System: Optimizes even the smallest space with style to make clothing easy to reach and find. Allows designers, builders and renovators to maximize space efficiency by creating different design opportunities for closet space. Fits closet interior widths of 1680 mm/5.5 ft and 2520 mm/8.26 ft. For comparison, the 2520 mm/8.26 ft unit provides the equivalent of a 4877 mm/16 ft clothing rod.
• Combination Shelf System: This space-saving 3-in-1 under-cabinet mount storage system conveniently holds frequently used items such as spices, and can be easily hidden away when not in use. The top shelf is an ideal spot for storage, while the bottom shelf also offers extra space during cooking for food prep items. The handle serves as a convenient rack for hanging towels or utensils. In a small kitchen, it can provide up to 20 per cent more prep space. This system is available in 600 mm/1.96 ft.

Richelieu will debut Panasonic’s new line up of Shimau Storage and Organization products at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) at booth #S9019 from Tuesday, January 19 to Thursday, January 21, 2016 in Las Vegas. Panasonic Eco Solutions will display ventilation products at booth #C2131. Panasonic door systems, vacuum insulation panels and other building materials will be shown at the International Builders Show, Booth #S1374 also in Las Vegas on the same dates.

Panasonic’s products are designed using cutting edge “Digital human” ergonomic design engines, and are cycle tested at least 30,000 times before production. All products in this category carry a Limited Lifetime warranty, and are backed by the power of Panasonic.

For those in the industry who cannot attend KBIS, Panasonic Canada has recently created a Housing Solutions Centre of excellence at their Mississauga headquarters. The Centre highlights Panasonic technologies, and will be a resource for Canadian architects, designers, builders and developers. Industry events at the Centre will be announced through 2016.

Panasonic Storage and Organization systems are available through Richelieu to the trade only, and can be viewed in their showrooms by contacting 1-800-361-6000 (Canada) or 1-800-619-5446 (U.S.). To learn more about Panasonic Storage and Organization solutions, and other solutions for the home and living, visit na.panasonic.com/ca/home-living-solutions.

About Richelieu
Richelieu is a leading North American distributor, importer and manufacturer of specialty hardware and complementary products. Its products are targeted to an extensive customer base of kitchen and bathroom cabinet, furniture, and window and door manufacturers plus the residential and commercial woodworking industry, as well as a large customer base of hardware retailers, including renovation superstores. Richelieu offers customers a broad mix of high-end products sourced from manufacturers around the world. Its product selection consists of some 100,000 different items targeted to a base of more than 70,000 customers who are served by 66 centres in North America – 36 distribution centres in Canada, 28 in the United States and two manufacturing plants in Canada, specifically Cedan Industries Inc. which specializes in the manufacture of a wide variety of veneer sheets and edgebanding products and Menuiserie des Pins Ltée which manufactures components for the window and door industry and a broad selection of decorative moldings. http://www.richelieu.com

About Panasonic Canada Inc.
A subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, Panasonic Canada Inc. provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions to meet consumer, business and industrial needs. Consumers seeking more information on the company’s products can visit Panasonic’s home page at www.panasonic.com